Mamata raps Buddhadev on land acquisition

On Monday, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya's promise to the people of Nandigram that land would not be acquired till the people were convinced about the need for it, alleging that his statement was false.

"The chief minister is saying that farmland will not be acquired forcibly at Nandigram. He is making a false statement," Banerjee told a public meeting in Bhangar in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district.

Let's embrace industry for people's sake: Bhattacharya

She claimed that the land acquisition notice at Nandigram has not been withdrawn and demanded this

be done first.

Bhattacharya admitted 'major administrative lapses' on January 9 and directed the East Midnapore district administration to tear up the land acquisition notice by the Haldia Development Authority 'as it was the root-cause of trouble' that cost several lives at Nandigram.

Warning the government against acquiring land without the consent of farmers, Banerjee said Bhattacharya could not do whatever he liked simply because was in power. He should make a categorical announcement that land would not be acquired forcibly, she said.